BEM VINDO

                    Welcome to my blog! Please allow me to begin with this proposal…

The most important part of any endeavor is to have a thorough understanding of its beginning.  The second most important part of any endeavor is to engage it with a happy heart.  I try to live my life by these two rules and I plan to use them on my journey, as a student ambassador to Brazil on the AFS program.  If you accept my proposal about understanding the beginning and engaging it with a happy heart I would like to introduce myself with this riddle: “What do you get when you cross a hillbilly with a redneck?” The answer is… me. I have been twice blessed with a father born and raised in Kentucky and a mother born and raised in South Texas.  They were both raised on farms where they were taught to achieve high standards in morals, work ethic, and teamwork.  They have taught me to be strong, independent, self-sufficient, and empathetic. I can always depend on them for that ever elusive answer to the question of “why?”  I am extremely proud of my beginning and I am looking forward to sharing my life and culture with the Brazilian people.

                My name is Sarah Keith and I was born and raised in rural Wilson County just outside of Floresville, Texas and within an hour drive of downtown San Antonio.  I have always appreciated our small town values, but this year through my community service efforts and the knowledge of my upcoming departure I have developed a new level of respect for my community and the generosity of our citizens. I am a seventeen year old and have completed my junior year in the Pensacola Christian Academy Home Study program.  I have been in 4-H for eight years, elected to eight offices including President of both my club and County, served on many committees, and completed thirty-seven projects.   I have been a Girl Scout for eleven years, earned my Bronze award, Silver award, and Gold award, earned the Gold Presidential community service award for four consecutive years, and served as Ex-Officio Girl Board member on the GSSWT Board of Directors where I represented 23,500 girls. I am also the co-founder and past leader of the Wilson County teen Reading club.  And now, I am an AFSer. Each of these organizations provide valuable opportunities to learn from mistakes and still enjoy frequent successes while learning the art of leadership.   Now the unique opportunities I will have while abroad will further develop my leadership skills and will teach me to be an ambassador.  With these new skills, I will be able to build bridges that promote unity among people from many countries..

                               

                    AFS, otherwise known as the American Field Service, was founded in 1947 in response to the second World War. Foreign exchange is an opportunity for a young person to live and study in a completely different culture.  It provides the opportunity to safely experience both, positive and negative aspects of the host country and to make that personal leap from knowledge to understanding.  The AFS exchange strives to provide the best situations between students and host families. This experience maximizes the opportunities in education, self-awareness, and ambassadorship.

                      You may ask, “Why on earth would someone spend eleven months in a different country, surrounded by a completely different culture and language?”  My personal reasons are the new perspectives on life and learning that I will gain. That understanding will aide me for the rest of my life; second, the opportunity to become fluent in a completely new language; and third, the real benefit of having the chance to take knowledge previously learned and turn it into understanding. 

A year abroad with AFS is something that takes you out of the text book, the everyday ordinary life of society and thrust you into a world full of wonderful and challenging experiences. I believe there are many things that can be taught in life such as: a language, a religion, and a recipe. But to learn an accent of a language, the faith in God, or the taste of a recipe; you have to go out and experience it for yourself. 

                And now that I have introduced myself and my program to you, I would like to welcome you to my blog.  Throughout this next year in Brazil I will be posting to provide support for other and future exchange students, to keep my family and friends up to date on my life, and to keep promoting cultural awareness.  Thursday I was on a plane from Miami to Sao Paulo; Friday morning this adventure becomes very real; and today I meet my host family. Me desejem sorte!(Wish me luck)

Tchau, (Goodbye for now)

Sarah Keith